On December 1, 1943, deep within a heavily guarded compound in the center of Tehran, Iran, President Roosevelt (USA), Prime Minister Churchill (Great Britain) and Joseph Stalin (USSR), met to discuss strategy and how they would defeat Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperialist Japan. The overall plan was to concentrate on Germany first and, after Germany's defeat, throw the full weight of the Allied nations into the War in the Pacific. [1]
The United States and the Soviet Union have always been at odds with each other. The United States did not recognize the Soviet Union until sixteen years after its founding. With the rise of Hitler, the USA and the USSR set aside their differences and fought their common enemy. However, throughout the conflict (WWII), there was a mutual distrust between the USA and USSR.
May 8, 1945 was declared "V-E" Day or Victory in Europe day to celebrate the unconditional surrender of Germany. Now, the attention of the Allies shifted to Japan. [2]
Early in the morning, on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico's Alamogordo Desert, the first atomic bomb was
successfully tested:
By 1945, the war in the Pacific was all but over. American air bases were constructed on conquered islands surrounding Japan. Bombing missions were carried out almost constantly. The Japanese war machine lay ruined throughout the Pacific. Smoking in Tokyo Harbor were the remnants of the once mighty Japanese fleet. Despite their situation, the Japanese refused to surrender. Preparations were being made throughout mainland Japan to "defend their homeland".
President Harry S. Truman
After President Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, Vice President, Harry Truman, was sworn in office. Truman had heard nothing about the "Manhattan Project" during Roosevelt's term. He was suddenly asked approval to drop the atomic bomb, which was expected to be ready 5 months later. Truman knew very little about the atomic bomb and it's disastrous effects. With complications in Europe and in Japan, The atomic bomb showed a method to resolve the war. The Japanese decision to surrender depended on the use of the Atomic Bomb[3].
President Harry Truman
The U.S. mainly used the atomic bomb to force Japan into surrender, with the secondary reason to building and constructing the bombs was to pose a threat on Nazi Germany. After The Japanese refused to surrender, Truman decided to drop two bombs.
On August 6th,1945, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, another was dropped on Nagasaki.
The American leadership recognized that an invasion of Japan would be a difficult. As documents in the Truman Library show, senior US leadership believed that due to the nature of the Japanese culture (fervent loyalty to the God-Emperor) every citizen would resist and kill as many American soldiers as they could. [4]: Cited as evidence of this theory were the apparent "Mass Suicides" at Okinawa, Keruma, Zamami, and Tokashiki Islands; where instead of surrendering to the American troops the locals committed suicide. [5]
Truman gave the order to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Prior to the bombing, the area was literally blanketed with leaflets warnings to the population: a weapon unlike any the world had ever seen was about to be used against them. They urged the residents to flee in the leaflet. On August 6, 1945 the first Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Two days later, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and began it's invasion of Manchuria.
Japan still stood defiant, they refused to surrender despite the horrendous attack on Hiroshima. American bombers took to the skies again. Instead of bombs, they carried leaflets:
The warnings were left unheeded and on August 9, 1945 a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Five days later the Japanese agreed to an unconditional surrender. On September 2, 1945 Japan signs the surrender documents and V-J (Victory in Japan) Day is celebrated.
The "End" Of World War Two- Hiroshima and Nagasaki: During and After
Although many consider the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki the “end” of World War Two, many fail to realize the complicated relationships that were present between the United States, Japan, and Russia (which prevailed after the bombs and Japan’s surrender). Many also view the dropping of the two bombs as one event, rather than two separate events with important decisions made by both the Japanese and the United States during the three days between the bombings. The Soviet Union, under Stalin, had joined the Allied cause against Japan before the bombs were dropped. [6] During the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945, the Potsdam declaration was written. The Declaration stated that if Japan did not surrender “immediately,” it would face “prompt and utter destruction.” After a period of months in which Japan ignored the Declaration, the United States began formulating a plan, a small part of it being the dropping and activation of the two nuclear bombs. An important and vital decision made by the agreement between the United States and Russia was Russia’s declaration of war on Japan, timed right in-between the two bombs. The sudden declaration of war from Russia proved to be a necessity to Japan’s later surrender.
Potsdam Conference July 1945
Japan’s emperor and government continued to be stubborn, as their conditions to surrender were quite different from those of the Allies:
1. The preservation of the kokutai, or the imperial institution 2. The Japanese Imperial Headquarters would assume full responsibility for disarming and demobilizing the Japan’s forces. 3.No occupation of Japan from any other nation. 4.Granting the Japanese Government the jurisdiction and responsibility of punishing war criminals.
Hirohito
On August 8th, 1945, after the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, President Truman stated: "If they [Japan] do not accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth." Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov consequently informed Tokyo that the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact was annulled, and Russia was officially declaring war on Japan. Tokyo, which had been seeking an alliance and assistance from Moscow, retaliated in shock to this declaration. On August 9th, 1945, two minutes after midnight, Russia was moving infantry, armor, and its air force onto Japanese territory. Amongst the panic of this spontaneous attack, senior leadership in Japan imposed martial law on the nation, forbidding anyone to propose or make peace with the United States or Russia. On the same day, the American atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Hirohito, the leader of Japan at the time, showed evident panic, and called for the Imperial conference to assemble. The leader showed great concern over the Soviet declaration of war against the Japanese, and no concern for the two atomic bombs that had just nearly eliminated two large and prominent Japanese cities. Shortly, Hirohito showed signs of compliance with surrender, with one condition: the surrender “does not compromise any demand which prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as a Sovereign ruler.” [7] With agreement reached on the condition, Japan’s surrender was announced on August 14th, 1945. Hirohito’s speech “Rescript to the soldiers and sailors” delivered on August 17th stressed on the impact of Soviet war threats on Japan as the main reason for Japanese defeat, and the Japanese leader did not mention or comment on the two American bombs. A year after the bombings, 40,000 U.S. occupation troops were stationed in Hiroshima, and 27,000 stationed in Nagasaki.[8] Page done by: Amina Al Sherif
Bridget Guinan
James Piner
Andrew Arunachalam
^ "The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources." The National
Security Archive. 27 Apr. 2007. 13 Sept. 2008 <http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/ NSAEBB/
NSAEBB162/ index.htm>.
Dropping the Bomb & the End of WWII
On December 1, 1943, deep within a heavily guarded compound in the center of Tehran, Iran, President Roosevelt (USA), Prime Minister Churchill (Great Britain) and Joseph Stalin (USSR), met to discuss strategy and how they would defeat Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperialist Japan. The overall plan was to concentrate on Germany first and, after Germany's defeat, throw the full weight of the Allied nations into the War in the Pacific. [1]
The United States and the Soviet Union have always been at odds with each other. The United States did not recognize the Soviet Union until sixteen years after its founding. With the rise of Hitler, the USA and the USSR set aside their differences and fought their common enemy. However, throughout the conflict (WWII), there was a mutual distrust between the USA and USSR.
May 8, 1945 was declared "V-E" Day or Victory in Europe day to celebrate the unconditional surrender of Germany. Now, the attention of the Allies shifted to Japan. [2]
Early in the morning, on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico's Alamogordo Desert, the first atomic bomb was
successfully tested:
By 1945, the war in the Pacific was all but over. American air bases were constructed on conquered islands surrounding Japan. Bombing missions were carried out almost constantly. The Japanese war machine lay ruined throughout the Pacific. Smoking in Tokyo Harbor were the remnants of the once mighty Japanese fleet. Despite their situation, the Japanese refused to surrender. Preparations were being made throughout mainland Japan to "defend their homeland".
President Harry S. Truman
After President Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, Vice President, Harry Truman, was sworn in office. Truman had heard nothing about the "Manhattan Project" during Roosevelt's term. He was suddenly asked approval to drop the atomic bomb, which was expected to be ready 5 months later. Truman knew very little about the atomic bomb and it's disastrous effects. With complications in Europe and in Japan, The atomic bomb showed a method to resolve the war. The Japanese decision to surrender depended on the use of the Atomic Bomb[3].
The U.S. mainly used the atomic bomb to force Japan into surrender, with the secondary reason to building and constructing the bombs was to pose a threat on Nazi Germany. After The Japanese refused to surrender, Truman decided to drop two bombs.
On August 6th,1945, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, another was dropped on Nagasaki.
The American leadership recognized that an invasion of Japan would be a difficult. As documents in the Truman Library show, senior US leadership believed that due to the nature of the Japanese culture (fervent loyalty to the God-Emperor) every citizen would resist and kill as many American soldiers as they could. [4]: Cited as evidence of this theory were the apparent "Mass Suicides" at Okinawa, Keruma, Zamami, and Tokashiki Islands; where instead of surrendering to the American troops the locals committed suicide. [5]
Truman gave the order to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Prior to the bombing, the area was literally blanketed with leaflets warnings to the population: a weapon unlike any the world had ever seen was about to be used against them. They urged the residents to flee in the leaflet. On August 6, 1945 the first Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Two days later, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and began it's invasion of Manchuria.
Japan still stood defiant, they refused to surrender despite the horrendous attack on Hiroshima. American bombers took to the skies again. Instead of bombs, they carried leaflets:
The warnings were left unheeded and on August 9, 1945 a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Five days later the Japanese agreed to an unconditional surrender. On September 2, 1945 Japan signs the surrender documents and V-J (Victory in Japan) Day is celebrated.
The "End" Of World War Two- Hiroshima and Nagasaki: During and After
Although many consider the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki the “end” of World War Two, many fail to realize the complicated relationships that were present between the United States, Japan, and Russia (which prevailed after the bombs and Japan’s surrender). Many also view the dropping of the two bombs as one event, rather than two separate events with important decisions made by both the Japanese and the United States during the three days between the bombings.
The Soviet Union, under Stalin, had joined the Allied cause against Japan before the bombs were dropped. [6] During the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945, the Potsdam declaration was written. The Declaration stated that if Japan did not surrender “immediately,” it would face “prompt and utter destruction.” After a period of months in which Japan ignored the Declaration, the United States began formulating a plan, a small part of it being the dropping and activation of the two nuclear bombs. An important and vital decision made by the agreement between the United States and Russia was Russia’s declaration of war on Japan, timed right in-between the two bombs. The sudden declaration of war from Russia proved to be a necessity to Japan’s later surrender.
Japan’s emperor and government continued to be stubborn, as their conditions to surrender were quite different from those of the Allies:
1. The preservation of the kokutai, or the imperial institution
2. The Japanese Imperial Headquarters would assume full responsibility for disarming and demobilizing the Japan’s forces.
3. No occupation of Japan from any other nation.
4. Granting the Japanese Government the jurisdiction and responsibility of punishing war criminals.
A year after the bombings, 40,000 U.S. occupation troops were stationed in Hiroshima, and 27,000 stationed in Nagasaki.[8]
Page done by:
Amina Al Sherif
Bridget Guinan
James Piner
Andrew Arunachalam
Security Archive. 27 Apr. 2007. 13 Sept. 2008 <http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/ NSAEBB/
NSAEBB162/ index.htm>.
Sept. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Events
_of_August_7-9>.